Patrick L. Fetzner, Clerk of Records

In 1978 Erie County adopted the Home Rule Charter which established the Office of Clerk of Records. Since that time Pat Fetzner, as the assistant Clerk of Records under the late Dave Wiley, has played an important part of the administration of that office. In 1992 Pat was unanimously appointed by County Council to hold the position before being elected in 1994.

The Clerk of Records Offices include the Recorder of Deeds, Register of Wills, Prothonotary, and Clerk of Courts. They are responsible for all civil, criminal, real estate, wills, adoptions, and marriage records. His offices play such an integral role in the operation of Erie County Government. Pat has established long term visions and policies to professionalize and streamline his administration.

Pat has built a strong compliment of department heads to oversee his hard working support staff. Attorneys Kenneth Gamble, Robert Catalde and David Bradford were brought on board and have professionalized the administration of their law related offices--Prothonotary, Clerk of Courts, and Recorder of Deeds Offices respectively. Frances Rectenwald has been appointed as department head of the Register of Wills and Orphans Court upon the retirement of Betty Flanagan after 37 years of dedicated service. Fran brings over twenty years of court management experience as head of Custody Counseling in the Erie County Court system.

Pat has computerized his offices as well as developed a county wide system that links virtually all departments of Erie County Government. He has recently implemented online public access and state of the art optical imaging capabilities to all his offices .

The Clerk of Records Offices continues to generate substantial amounts of revenue for the county and operates within his annual budget. Pat has done so without an increase in staff in the last fifteen years.

Pat's mission as Clerk of Records is to provide the most efficient, professional and cost effective services possible to the citizens of Erie County. Whether that be maintaining legal records, recording the deed to your home or probating the will of a loved one, Clerk of Records Pat Fetzner looks forward to serving you well into the future.